Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Queen’s real story got shuffled like a playlist to make this movie: every song you came for, in whatever order makes the drama hit hardest. Bohemian Rhapsody leans on every music biopic beat you can name, the doubting record executive, the big band fight, the lonely star at his own party. The script is basically a checklist in a wig. The music, though, is undefeated. Rami Malek throws everything into Freddie Mercury, the strut, the stage moves, the shy guy underneath, and he sells the confidence even when the writing hands him nothing. The scenes where the band builds songs in a farmhouse studio are the most fun part. A couple of conversations are cut so choppy it feels like the editor sneezed. Critics gave it a 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences gave it $911.1 million worldwide. A 5.8 because the concerts are electric and the story around them is made of cardboard. $4,942 says you stomp, stomp, clap on a table this week and somebody joins in.

What works: Rami Malek’s all-in performance and the concert scenes, which land the music with real power.

What doesn’t: The script reshuffles real events into tired biopic beats, and the choppy editing in some dialogue scenes is distracting.

Who it’s for: Queen fans who want to hear the hits loud and don’t mind the story being bent to fit them.